: indi's index : hamesha dammit : - Page 20

Originally posted by: indi52

hi sneha,

i hear from people about the marvelous mrs maisel. will try and see if i can.

indian mainstream entertainment has lost quality drastically. i am afraid in the era of tech, marketing, soc med, and money love (to the exclusion of all other love), something essentially powerful and beautiful has sauntered off the scene, almost as if it can't bear to hang around.

some movies are good. but nothing has traction on the heart or gut. i liked badhai ho. enjoyed the nuance, but when it came to showing the wealthy people, a certain blandness, and cliched set, look, mindset, acting... even the middle class, yes, better than many films, but really, something keeps you at a distance. i also feel everyone "acts" too much. but yes, i liked it. refreshing. and i have a thing for themes exploring women, in a real way. also relationships.

so i loved veere di wedding. it raised issues in a filmi way, but these issues were touched on without shame, coyness or embarrassment. it staked a simple claim for women to have the life they wish to have and not constantly be moulded and curbed. the four actresses so got their characters (okay i thought kareena was the weakest), in an out and out commercial film, they had four women protagonists with no macho major male hero type. some of the dialogues, oh so true and funny. and the scenarios... yes, all there. first time saw a nice take on the typical indian nri male... h they do so exist. you could see it as chick flick as many indeed did or a film that was really an out and out protest against society and its male worship. it has a significance that may get recognition some day. i would have loved to watch barun play creepy bhandari (the actor who played him did a neat job too).

andhadhun i believe was based on a foreign film, french or something. i think of watching sometimes, then just don't feel like it.

the other day, i happened to watch "in which annie gives it those ones" once again. a 1989 film, produced by doordarshan, arundhati roy's script (first one i think), set in the delhi school of architecture, about students in the 1970s. bad print, and yet i was giggling and feeling the time, the craziness of being young, the sense of delhi. such a lovely film. hardly any tech or anything. barely any budget. sticks in the mind. shah rukh khan's first screen appearance i think. a short role. also manoj bajpayee's, but the leads were different, all unselfconscious good actors, roy the female lead.

there was a naturalness and depth to many films, definitely the hatke ones, but even the mainstream ones, that i miss now.

barun to my mind had the thing in him to be one of the greats.

there was a glamorous matinee idol of the previous century quality to him, and an acute and keen contemporariness. he gets character. he enters character without reservation. and he is terribly sensitive when trying to feel his role. of course, his impact on female audiences need not be underscored, it just is what it is and i am sure, with good roles he'd have endeared himself to male audiences too.

he is also vulnerable. my sense. as a human being. that ipk fracas possibly messed up many things. and then of course, it's impossible to get good work in hindi cinema these days unless you're connected or willing to toe the line in ways you may not wish to. plus, i think he sort of lost the wild spirit that possibly was his when he was a bpo chap who knew he was good looking and ready to take on the new world of tv soap if he could get in, mainly to earn more... and so let a friend show his picture around and got hired when they needed a cheap (his words, hehe) actor.

it is often hard for me to believe he is not only an untrained actor, but he really wasn't terribly into "good" theatre or cinema or anything, just a happy go lucky, west delhi boy, working from age seventeen in a bpo, earning because he needs to, drinking beer, having fun, committed to one girl but giving heart attacks to many... not the deep thinking type, nor "intellectual". and yet, it thrills me. for that says more than anything else, it's all in him, and it's all him.

the ore is deadly. rare and precious. but to get the shine out, a lot of things are needed. many perhaps not available in the current environment.

but ore is ore. maybe some day it'll be discovered by the right miner. i won't give up on refulgence yet.

Originally posted by: indi52

kizh,

just got here after a break. thank you thank you... glad you had fun reading and giggling... oh phroid ji phroid ji, where be you and your couch.

those were good days.

Originally posted by: Breath-Mark

Might i add something? Seems like voot's original series are coming out this 8th feb. Derma which was earlier karma might be out too. Saw some glimpses of it with the video voot posted earlier yesterday.

As for the choices barun has taken, I would say we have to look at it from his stand. I wish i can take names but the folks that were in his era, the shows.. his costars.. they are all doing similar kind of work. Expecting him to take big risks is a little unrealistic for me esp cos there is only this much, he can try. I used to think he would a misfit in the BW world but the past year with story-driven subjects have given me hope.

He had firm belief in web series as early as 2013/4 when it wasnt the 'in' trend. So him doing tanhaiyan or EJ was him trying the medium. I hope he will get noticed with bigger projects on the big screen. And i agree that he shines with amazing costars and writers. I hope he get that soon. It pains me sometimes when fans expect something else and get disappointed when he's not achieving that. As long as he isnt stagnant and keeps working, im glad to be supporting him

Originally posted by: 7_sneha_7

Hi Indi,

When I mentioned Badhai Ho and Andhadhun, I strictly meant in their commercial success. I meant that small budget movies and not-so-well-connected-in-immediate-family-relations actors are getting good breaks these days. I really don't know how good -in content wise- these two movies are.

Badhai Ho's trailer seriously did intrigue me especially for its theme because the issue it dealt is so real and relevant. But, I didn't watch the whole movie as I was busy. I recently chanced upon this movie on TV when a scene of the lead meeting his girlfriend's mom was playing and the cliched portrayal of the girlfriend's wealthy mother put me off a bit, so I switched over the channel. I look forward to watch the movie when I get time. As for Andhadhun, I didn't see it either. I could only get a glimpse of the end credits when my brother finished watching the movie. So yes, I did see the end credits where a foreign movie was credited as inspiration, but I heard from my brother -another movie enthusiast like me- that the movie was an offbeat but good one.

But, what I really wanted to point out is that I heard that these two films did exceedingly well commercially which gave me some hope of good movies from young talent in Bollywood irrespective of backing of established big production house over the period of time.

"some movies are good. but nothing has traction on the heart or gut."

So true. That's the reason nothing these days impressed me or intrigued me the way the first season of IPKKND did. (THMS is an exception though!)

"and i have a thing for themes exploring women, in a real way. also relationships."

So do I. 😃

Oh my goodness Indi, by any chance are we lost twin sisters? 🤗

Just kidding. I know it's impossible considering our age gap! 😆

(Bad joke maybe, please don't mid! 😳)

"... veere di wedding"

"you could see it as chick flick as many indeed did ..."

I'm gonna be honest, I did feel it as a chick flick! 😳

Well, to me the trailer came across exactly like a chick flick. I'm all for a strong female lead character but female lead characters just doing what typically male lead characters would do in a regular film -like sitting in a bar generalizing a gender or commitment phobia or partying in beach- is completely no-no for me, because I want to see a female character as is, something real, fresh, independent and uninfluenced, not doing what a male lead character already did in certain previous film. (That's the reason Amy Schumer's critically acclaimed and commercially successful movie 'Trainwreck' didn't impress me one bit other than Bill Hader and his character in the movie.)

The theme of this movie also -to me- didn't really differ much from Zoya Akthar's 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' (ZNMD). It just felt like the female version of ZNMD with a few changes of course. Gender version changes of the same concept is not my thing.

Not just the trailer put me off but I read in one of the reviews that the character played by Swara Bhaskar was in later scenes shown being apologetic for using a vibrator for her masturbation, that really put me off.

Also, this was from Ekta Kapoor's 'Balaji Motion Pictures' which I'm not really fond of, so I skipped it.

Like I said in my earlier posts maybe it is unreasonable to judge something without seeing it completely so I won't talk further about this movie.

As we speak of strong female characters, I'd like to mention another Zoya Akthar's movie - 'Dil Dhadakne Do'. I loved this movie more than ZNMD for it's portrayal of characters - Neelam and her troubled relationship with her philandering husband, her necessity to put up as a perfect family in front of friends and family, so many layers and complexities; Ayesha and her troubled relationship with her husband, her business ambitions; and other characters. But these two characters simply stood out for me. These two characters, even though are from the wealthy background, but the characteristics they had are so real and relevant in all classes.

I loved Tu Hai Mera Sunday (THMS) also for its portrayal of some real female characters - Kavi, an independent marketing professional who is also a doted daughter yet not pretentious and leads the life of a modern mumbai girl; Tasneem, an estranged wife of an unnamed man, mother of two deaf and dumb boys yet still positive with life and cares about neighbors leading a happy life with her boys.

Oh! I so wish to see real characters like these more often in movies or other media exploring the complex relations women sometimes have to go through.

(You should definitely give 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' a try. I thoroughly enjoyed the first season, haven't yet seen the second season.)

"in which annie gives it those ones"

I didn't know about it until you mentioned here. I'll definitely give it a watch as it impressed you, so maybe it might impress me as well! 😊

"barun to my mind had the thing in him to be one of the greats.

there was a glamorous matinee idol of the previous century quality to him, and an acute and keen contemporariness. he gets character. he enters character without reservation."

I don't know much about the 'matinee idol' thing you are mentioning here -again generation gap maybe, please bear with me!- but I completely agree with you on him getting the character right.

Sukhi of MAMR is a good example. He got it so well in the otherwise badly written script that I stayed till the end only for him.

I feel he was seriously let down by the writers of projects other than the first season of IPKKND and THMS, who didn't know how to utilize his acting prowess.

"he is also vulnerable. my sense. as a human being. that ipk fracas possibly messed up many things."

I feel the same too.

As for the fracas towards the end of IPKKND, it might have effected him, but I don't think it had serious effect on him as he still seems to be cordial with the makers of that show and the channel (my assumption solely on the fact that he worked with them -both the production house and Star Plus- again on third season of IPKKND, and him being good friends with screenplay writer Gautam Hegde).

The frenzy around IPKKND that still does not come down even after so many years and the fact that he is still being invited to so many countries just for the reason of this single show -even though he did some good work in others also- might have an effect on him. My feeling.

"i think he sort of lost the wild spirit that possibly was his when he was a bpo chap who knew he was good looking and ready to take on the new world of tv soap if he could get in, mainly to earn more..."

I so agree on this Indi.

I think his main reason to foray into television was to earn a more decent sum to support his family better (also to assure his -highly educated- girlfriend that he is settling down with decent pay -his words-), but when he once got in he might have realized that he so got this -zeal for acting- in his bag, and realized he is surely cut out for this job.

But now, I think he is in a pretty comfortable position in life. He doesn't seem to be chasing any roles or production houses for auditions. Maybe he is not an ambitious person like Arjun Anand of THMS, finding happiness in little things. I utterly respect him for this quality (assuming what meets my eye through his interviews is true). He seems to be a laid back person in his life. He has a loving and truly supportive wife, thick as family like best friends, and a caring family, so maybe he does not have that initial wild spirit with which he came in to TV!

"it is often hard for me to believe he is not only an untrained actor, but he really wasn't terribly into "good" theatre or cinema or anything"

So true Indi. I actually searched for if he did any theater in school or college, but to my utter surprise I found out he never went to college nor was he into theater in school either and was just an average happy student in school.

"... nor "intellectual""

I kind of disagree on this one because I saw some of his interviews answering brain teasers and tricky questions, boy his brain works so fast!

So yeah, that's when I realized this man is sharp and has good communication skills in English despite never going to college, no wonder why he is loved by his dear wife!

"the ore is deadly. rare and precious. but to get the shine out, a lot of things are needed. many perhaps not available in the current environment.

but ore is ore. maybe some day it'll be discovered by the right miner. i won't give up on refulgence yet."

So true Indi, I so wish to see him in more well written roles. What this man does with his characters is pure magic.

Originally posted by: 7_sneha_7

Hi Indi,

When I mentioned Badhai Ho and Andhadhun, I strictly meant in their commercial success. I meant that small budget movies and not-so-well-connected-in-immediate-family-relations actors are getting good breaks these days. I really don't know how good -in content wise- these two movies are.

Badhai Ho's trailer seriously did intrigue me especially for its theme because the issue it dealt is so real and relevant. But, I didn't watch the whole movie as I was busy. I recently chanced upon this movie on TV when a scene of the lead meeting his girlfriend's mom was playing and the cliched portrayal of the girlfriend's wealthy mother put me off a bit, so I switched over the channel. I look forward to watch the movie when I get time. As for Andhadhun, I didn't see it either. I could only get a glimpse of the end credits when my brother finished watching the movie. So yes, I did see the end credits where a foreign movie was credited as inspiration, but I heard from my brother -another movie enthusiast like me- that the movie was an offbeat but good one.

But, what I really wanted to point out is that I heard that these two films did exceedingly well commercially which gave me some hope of good movies from young talent in Bollywood irrespective of backing of established big production house over the period of time.

"some movies are good. but nothing has traction on the heart or gut."

So true. That's the reason nothing these days impressed me or intrigued me the way the first season of IPKKND did. (THMS is an exception though!)

"and i have a thing for themes exploring women, in a real way. also relationships."

So do I. 😃

Oh my goodness Indi, by any chance are we lost twin sisters? 🤗

Just kidding. I know it's impossible considering our age gap! 😆

(Bad joke maybe, please don't mid! 😳)

"... veere di wedding"

"you could see it as chick flick as many indeed did ..."

I'm gonna be honest, I did feel it as a chick flick! 😳

Well, to me the trailer came across exactly like a chick flick. I'm all for a strong female lead character but female lead characters just doing what typically male lead characters would do in a regular film -like sitting in a bar generalizing a gender or commitment phobia or partying in beach- is completely no-no for me, because I want to see a female character as is, something real, fresh, independent and uninfluenced, not doing what a male lead character already did in certain previous film. (That's the reason Amy Schumer's critically acclaimed and commercially successful movie 'Trainwreck' didn't impress me one bit other than Bill Hader and his character in the movie.)

The theme of this movie also -to me- didn't really differ much from Zoya Akthar's 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' (ZNMD). It just felt like the female version of ZNMD with a few changes of course. Gender version changes of the same concept is not my thing.

Not just the trailer put me off but I read in one of the reviews that the character played by Swara Bhaskar was in later scenes shown being apologetic for using a vibrator for her masturbation, that really put me off.

Also, this was from Ekta Kapoor's 'Balaji Motion Pictures' which I'm not really fond of, so I skipped it.

Like I said in my earlier posts maybe it is unreasonable to judge something without seeing it completely so I won't talk further about this movie.

As we speak of strong female characters, I'd like to mention another Zoya Akthar's movie - 'Dil Dhadakne Do'. I loved this movie more than ZNMD for it's portrayal of characters - Neelam and her troubled relationship with her philandering husband, her necessity to put up as a perfect family in front of friends and family, so many layers and complexities; Ayesha and her troubled relationship with her husband, her business ambitions; and other characters. But these two characters simply stood out for me. These two characters, even though are from the wealthy background, but the characteristics they had are so real and relevant in all classes.

I loved Tu Hai Mera Sunday (THMS) also for its portrayal of some real female characters - Kavi, an independent marketing professional who is also a doted daughter yet not pretentious and leads the life of a modern mumbai girl; Tasneem, an estranged wife of an unnamed man, mother of two deaf and dumb boys yet still positive with life and cares about neighbors leading a happy life with her boys.

Oh! I so wish to see real characters like these more often in movies or other media exploring the complex relations women sometimes have to go through.

(You should definitely give 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' a try. I thoroughly enjoyed the first season, haven't yet seen the second season.)

"in which annie gives it those ones"

I didn't know about it until you mentioned here. I'll definitely give it a watch as it impressed you, so maybe it might impress me as well! 😊

"barun to my mind had the thing in him to be one of the greats.

there was a glamorous matinee idol of the previous century quality to him, and an acute and keen contemporariness. he gets character. he enters character without reservation."

I don't know much about the 'matinee idol' thing you are mentioning here -again generation gap maybe, please bear with me!- but I completely agree with you on him getting the character right.

Sukhi of MAMR is a good example. He got it so well in the otherwise badly written script that I stayed till the end only for him.

I feel he was seriously let down by the writers of projects other than the first season of IPKKND and THMS, who didn't know how to utilize his acting prowess.

"he is also vulnerable. my sense. as a human being. that ipk fracas possibly messed up many things."

I feel the same too.

As for the fracas towards the end of IPKKND, it might have effected him, but I don't think it had serious effect on him as he still seems to be cordial with the makers of that show and the channel (my assumption solely on the fact that he worked with them -both the production house and Star Plus- again on third season of IPKKND, and him being good friends with screenplay writer Gautam Hegde).

The frenzy around IPKKND that still does not come down even after so many years and the fact that he is still being invited to so many countries just for the reason of this single show -even though he did some good work in others also- might have an effect on him. My feeling.

"i think he sort of lost the wild spirit that possibly was his when he was a bpo chap who knew he was good looking and ready to take on the new world of tv soap if he could get in, mainly to earn more..."

I so agree on this Indi.

I think his main reason to foray into television was to earn a more decent sum to support his family better (also to assure his -highly educated- girlfriend that he is settling down with decent pay -his words-), but when he once got in he might have realized that he so got this -zeal for acting- in his bag, and realized he is surely cut out for this job.

But now, I think he is in a pretty comfortable position in life. He doesn't seem to be chasing any roles or production houses for auditions. Maybe he is not an ambitious person like Arjun Anand of THMS, finding happiness in little things. I utterly respect him for this quality (assuming what meets my eye through his interviews is true). He seems to be a laid back person in his life. He has a loving and truly supportive wife, thick as family like best friends, and a caring family, so maybe he does not have that initial wild spirit with which he came in to TV!

"it is often hard for me to believe he is not only an untrained actor, but he really wasn't terribly into "good" theatre or cinema or anything"

So true Indi. I actually searched for if he did any theater in school or college, but to my utter surprise I found out he never went to college nor was he into theater in school either and was just an average happy student in school.

"... nor "intellectual""

I kind of disagree on this one because I saw some of his interviews answering brain teasers and tricky questions, boy his brain works so fast!

So yeah, that's when I realized this man is sharp and has good communication skills in English despite never going to college, no wonder why he is loved by his dear wife!

"the ore is deadly. rare and precious. but to get the shine out, a lot of things are needed. many perhaps not available in the current environment.

but ore is ore. maybe some day it'll be discovered by the right miner. i won't give up on refulgence yet."

So true Indi, I so wish to see him in more well written roles. What this man does with his characters is pure magic.